For the next few days, Shu State seemed to grow much calmer.

But for those who were paying attention, a strange undercurrent was brewing in the shadows.

News of the Xiao Family’s medicinal herbs being hijacked was spread by the travelers who had been resting at the post station that night.

In an instant, it sparked a great deal of speculation, which could be roughly divided into three categories.

Or rather, in the eyes of three different groups of people, there were three versions of the story they were willing to believe.

Those who roamed the Jianghu were more focused on the "Sword Madman" Liu Lang heading south and the appearance of Evil Demons from the Illusory Sound Sect.

Thus, they were more inclined to believe that the medicinal herbs the Xiao Family transported from the Northern State contained legendary natural treasures.

The most outlandish rumor was, "That batch of herbs contained a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng, specifically meant to extend the Old Marquis’s life."

No one knew which bastard came up with such a notion, but their analysis was so vivid and detailed, claiming Old Marquis Xiao had been bedridden for a long time and was waiting for that ginseng to save his life.

The common folk sneered at this.

"I think they’re like the God of Longevity eating arsenic—they must have a death wish!"

"They didn’t even bother to find out what kind of power the Xiao Family holds before daring to provoke them in Shu State. Just you wait, I bet we’ll be seeing them behind bars soon enough."

In the perception of Shu State’s common folk, the Xiao Family had stood strong in the state for two hundred years. What kind of treasures didn’t they have in their residence?

Just the Immortal Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines gifted by the Emperor himself were innumerable. How could they possibly be lacking a single ten-thousand-year-old ginseng?

So, they thought those Jianghu People were clearly courting death, and said that these people had forgotten how domineering Marquis Xiao once was.

Many of the elderly loved to talk about this, reminiscing about how, back in the day, Marquis Xiao dominated the battlefields, rarely meeting his match, and so on.

But in the official circles of Shu State, these marketplace rumors could only be described with one word: "laughable."

How could the common folk and Jianghu People possibly know that because of this incident, every Government Office had turned Shu State upside down?

To say they’d "plowed the earth three feet deep" would not be an exaggeration.

On the afternoon the incident came to light, the Third Master of the Xiao Family moved right into the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.

He didn’t go anywhere else, simply summoning Liu Si from time to time to ask about the investigation’s progress.

This forced Prefect Liu’s hand, compelling him to order a thorough investigation.

Not only did the officials in the Government Offices run their legs off, but the Thousand Households and Hundred Households of the Imprisonment Department were also fully mobilized.

Some went to interview the common people, some sought out Shu State’s underworld gangs, and others tried to find information through well-connected Jianghu People.

But they couldn’t even find a shadow of the "Sword Madman" or the Illusory Sound Sect. The batch of medicinal herbs seemed to have vanished into thin air along with them.

In this regard, Chen Yi didn’t think the government officials were being inefficient.

For him, no results was a result in itself.

’Once you strip away all the layers of fog, only one truth remains—someone local in Shu State helped them.’

He couldn’t think of any other possibility.

However, Chen Yi wasn’t in a hurry. He just waited quietly for the matter to develop.

Every day, aside from casually acquiring an Opportunity or two, he steadfastly remained in the Medicine Hall, diagnosing patients alongside the several Physicians.

He had absorbed most of the knowledge from his Minor Achievement Medical Dao. His skills in the Four Diagnostics and Acupuncture progressed rapidly, already reaching Skilled Level Perfection.

Whether it was common illnesses, complex and rare diseases, or the properties of various medicinal herbs, he knew them all like the back of his hand.

As for how high his skill level was, he estimated that even if Elder Li and the other three were combined, they wouldn’t measure up to one of his fingers.

Compared to Martial Arts, the gap between each stage of the Medical Dao was even greater.

Those who understood, understood. Those who didn’t would remain ignorant of the underlying principles even after practicing and observing.

And what Chen Yi knew best were precisely those "underlying principles."

Therefore, he was already preparing to use the Profound Mysteries of the Medical Dao to create some new prescriptions. This would set them apart from the major Medicine Halls in Shu State, allowing Hundred Herbs Hall to officially open.

One had to admit, Wang Ji and Yan Hai were indeed sharp.

After finding a good storefront a few days ago, they immediately began setting it up, having a signboard made, handling renovations, and so on.

At the same time, their division of labor was clear.

Yan Hai was responsible for finding their previous herb-growing farmers and herb merchants to negotiate future prices for medicinal ingredients.

Wang Ji, on the other hand, spent three days visiting every major Medicine Hall in Shu State Prefecture City to discuss matters of herb distribution.

It was worth mentioning that the word "distribution" was something Chen Yi had told him, with the goal being a "win-win cooperation."

When the common people saw a doctor and filled a prescription, they naturally had to be meticulous about the price.

With Hundred Herbs Hall as a backstop, the major Medicine Halls would have a guaranteed income, rain or shine.

Even if people who thought their prices were too high went to Hundred Herbs Hall to buy medicine, the other halls could still earn a share of the silver coins from Hundred Herbs Hall based on the prescriptions they issued.

It was an easy way to profit, so why wouldn’t they do it?

Because of this, Wang Ji’s negotiations went quite smoothly.

Aside from the five Xiao Family Medicine Halls, which he didn’t visit, sixty percent of the other Medicine Halls reluctantly signed a contract with him.

Most of them were willing to at least give it a try.

Of course, quite a few people were disdainful of "Hundred Herbs Hall." After all, which family didn’t have a few exclusive prescriptions of their own?

The medicines from those prescriptions were the very foundation of their livelihood.

That evening, as Chen Yi walked out from the back room of the Medicine Hall with his newly developed prescriptions, he saw Liu Quan and a few others standing outside the door, pointing at something next door.

"What’s all the commotion about?"

"Shopkeeper, come and see! A new shop has opened."

Chen Yi walked over and took a look, unable to help raising an eyebrow.

He saw people coming and going outside Yan Hai’s old Herbal Medicine Shop, moving things inside.

There were basket after basket of medicinal herbs, as well as medicine scales, pulse pillows, and other items.

Looking up at the signboard, he saw it read "Linglan Pavilion." It was flanked by a couplet that said something like, "A century-old brand, saving lives and curing illnesses."

Chen Yi thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and instructed Liu Quan, "Go next door and buy some pastries and gifts to send over."

Liu Quan was stunned. He hesitated, "Shopkeeper, this Medicine Hall is clearly here to steal our business. You’re... sending them a gift?"

Chen Yi waved his hand. "We’re neighbors. We’ll be seeing each other all the time, so we can’t neglect proper etiquette."

’He might not know about other things, but this shop was most likely the next Chapter in the "hijacked herbs" incident.’

’What’s meant to come will come. Even if I choose to ignore it, they’ll probably come looking for trouble anyway.’

’It’s better to make a magnanimous gesture.’

After watching for another moment and seeing that the Chief Steward of the new Medicine Hall hadn’t appeared, Chen Yi smiled, beckoned for Ge the Third, and took the carriage home.

Ge the Third, at the front, had already seen the new Medicine Hall and found it to be an eyesore. So, as he drove the carriage, he asked through the curtain:

"Young Master, aren’t you angry?"

Chen Yi sat leisurely in the carriage, watching the pedestrians outside the window, and said nonchalantly, "Angry about what?"

"Of course it’s that ’competitors are enemies’! That blasted Linglan Pavilion is clearly picking a fight right on our doorstep."

"You know quite a lot, Ge the Third. After all these days in the East Market, I thought you only had eyes for the girls there."

Ge the Third’s face flushed. The seven-foot-tall man was so embarrassed by Chen Yi’s words that his face turned bright red. "Young Master, I... I’m not married yet. I was just looking, just looking."

With that, he forgot all about being angry at the new Medicine Hall.

Chen Yi naturally didn’t give it much thought either.

’We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’

However, when he returned home, he learned that Linglan Pavilion hadn’t just opened next to Jishi Medicine Hall.

There were Linglan Pavilion shops next to the other four Xiao Family Medicine Halls as well.

Chen Yi couldn’t help but shake his head and let out a long breath. "So they really don’t dare to make a direct move."

But this tactic of simply opening another medicine hall right next to the Xiao Family’s was a bit petty.

Without absolute strength, so what if they managed to shut down all the Xiao Family Medicine Halls?

But while Chen Yi wasn’t worried, Xiao Wan’er was growing anxious.

For the past few days, there had been no news from the family or the Government Office.

Seeing the hope of recovering the medicinal herbs dwindle, she had already begun contacting their previous herb merchants to purchase a batch of herbs for the emergency.

Now, hearing about Linglan Pavilion so suddenly caught her completely off guard.

However, she couldn’t confide in anyone about this. Even in front of Shen Huatang, she maintained a calm and composed expression.

She probably intended to resolve this crisis all by herself.

Xiao Wan’er sat alone in the pavilion, her expression melancholic.

"If only Second Sister were home."

...

「Deep in the Wumeng Mountains, late at night.」

Bamboo buildings were built one after another along the mountainside.

A brazier was lit in front of each bamboo building. In the firelight, the mountain village was dotted with points of light and didn’t seem dark at all.

Moreover, at an hour when everyone should have been asleep, a large bonfire blazed in the open space in the middle of the village, where hundreds of people in unique tribal attire sang and danced.

"The mountains turn, the waters turn, brother and sister sit in a boat, hey..."

The singing was loud, clear, and festive.

Faintly, the crisp sound of Bells also echoed through the mountains.

DING-A-LING, DING-A-LING.

"Big Sis, Big Sis, hurry up and sing! The brothers are getting impatient."

Pei Guanli saw a few young men across the way singing folk songs to tease her, so she raised her hand and threw out two packets of poison powder.

This scared the young men into scrambling away, causing the girls to burst out laughing.

"Don’t run! Weren’t you looking for Sister Guanli?"

"It’s just a few packets of poison powder! It won’t kill you."

Pei Guanli blinked. "Actually, it can kill you."

The girls’ laughter stopped. A moment later, someone started it, and they all surrounded Pei Guanli, pretending to hit her.

"Are you crazy? Using Poison like that?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong..."

After roughhousing for a while.

Pei Guanli finally managed to break free from her clansmen’s pulling and tugging. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her round face flushed red in the firelight.

She scanned her surroundings, found Xiao Jinghong sitting quietly on the roof of a nearby bamboo building, and skipped over to her.

"Sister Jinghong, what have you been looking at up here for so long?"

"Let me see?" Pei Guanli leaned her head over curiously, looking at what was in her hand.

She didn’t see anything else, but she did see the signature at the end.

Pei Guanli’s eyes widened, and she immediately reached out to snatch... well, take it.

THWAP.

Xiao Jinghong reached out and pressed a hand against her face, blocking her view.

"It’s a letter from brother-in-law! Let me see, Sister Jinghong, waah..."

Xiao Jinghong pinched her mouth shut, forcing her into silence, and said calmly:

"Tomorrow, have Granny Shan arrange for our people. We’re setting out to select a site."

Pei Guanli whimpered and struggled but couldn’t break free. She sulked and refused to speak.

’I’ll just glare you to death, see if I don’t.’

Xiao Jinghong glanced at her, then released her hand and started to walk away. "Don’t forget."

Pei Guanli swung a Punch towards her back, muttering, "I’ll forget, I’ll definitely forget."

Once Xiao Jinghong was far enough away, she raised her voice: "I’ve already forgotten!"

"Hm?"

Hearing the sound, Pei Guanli shrank back and hastily ran away.

Hearing her, a smile tugged at the corners of Xiao Jinghong’s lips.

But when she looked down at the two letters in her hand, the smile on her face grew wider, though her bright eyes held a trace of shyness.

"My dear husband, you’re so shameless."

Compared to the poem Chen Yi had written, she paid little mind to her eldest sister’s reminder.

"’You ask when I’ll return, but no date is set...’ Actually, there is one."

"’I’ll be back as soon as I’m done here.’"

PS: I’ve hit my limit. Only four Chapters today.

I might have had coffee plus strong tea, and my whole body feels awful. My pitiful life is more important, so I’m out.

I’ll learn my lesson and make it up tomorrow.